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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Sept. 4, 2020) with a show from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Tonight’s lineup includes Roman Reigns addressing the WWE Universe, a 4-way match to determine his first challenger for the Universal title, a Women’s tag title rematch, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR SEPT. 4
I find myself running in circles, lost and half insane, and I need a cure sometimes to knock out the pain. So I yell out for some kind of angel to come down and rescue me. Be as soft as you can, because I’ve got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show.
The show opens with a recap of Roman Reigns winning the Universal Championship in the main event of Payback.
Live in the arena, Roman Reigns makes his entrance, flanked by Paul Heyman.
They get in the ring and Paul begins on the mic. He says he thought he was out and Roman pulled him back in, but don’t make fools of yourself pointing fingers at him for corrupting Reigns, because it’s actually the other way around. And why? He was gone, tossed aside, thrown into shark-infested waters, and the Big Dog saved him and pulled him back onto the island of relevancy.
They did the same damn thing to Roman that they did to Paul, and what happened to the thank yous and the appreciation? Through life-threatening illness, Reigns over-delivered and nobody thanked him or offered genuine appreciation. When he needed a little time off, the Fiend took his title? A Fiend isn’t born to reign and neither is a Monster.
Roman’s reign as your champion has always been defined by what WWE purports itself to be built on— family, tradition, legacy, the responsibility of being champion and the accountability held to those actions as champion, and that’s who Roman Reigns is. On Raw they had a triple threat #1 contender’s match, but everything about the Universal Champion will be bigger and more spectacular, so they’re doing a fatal four-way tonight to find out who gets to be sacrificed to the Big Dog.
He’s not going to name his would-be contenders, and he’ll leave Anderson Cooper and Carmella’s latest boyfriend to hype up their resumes on commentary, and it’s as simple as this— his name is Paul Heyman and he serves as special counsel to the tribal chief, your reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns.
Reigns gets on the mic and says he did just what he’d say at Payback— he signed the contract, wrecked the Fiend, wrecked the Monster, and left as Universal Champion. He doesn’t care who he has at Clash of Champions, feed ‘em in and watch ‘em get slaughtered. This is his island, and when you have this kinda power, all you have to do is show up and win.
Believe that.
Heavy Machinery make their entrance, they’ll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package for Connor’s Cure.
Backstage, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman run into one Jey Uso.
He slaps Roman’s hand and tells him the whole family is proud of him. Paul moves on and Jey asks Roman if he trusts Heyman, and Reigns tells him to trust him, everything’s in order. Jey says he’s always got Roman’s back if he needs him, and Reigns tells him he’s got business to take care of but to hit him up if he needs him.
Uso suggests getting steak after the show, but the Big Dog is already gone.
Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight) vs. the Miz & John Morrison
Miz and Otis to start, Heavy Machinery quickly take control but Miz gets a jawbreaker on Knight and makes the tag. Tucky mat wrestling circles around Morrison, whip across, big hip toss! Stinger Splash, tag to Dozovic, big shoulder block turns Johnny SmackDown inside out! Whip across, back body drop, Miz runs in and Tucker scoops him up and they both slam a heel!
Heavy Machinery clear the ring and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Tucker is isolated and being worked over by the heels, but he rolls over them and tags Otis in! Clearing house, lariats and shoulder blocks, whip across, pop-up drop takes Morrison down! Sidestep the charge, springboard roundhouse kick puts Miz in position to fishhook his nose! Tag made, John in with a knee, Miz with a boot, only two!
Double whip, Dozer sidesteps and dumps Morrison out, he and Knight end up down and out, Miz throwing chest kicks but Otis just fires up and catches him for an overhead belly-to-belly suplex! One for John when he comes in, stacked up Stinger Splash, the A-Lister is down and Dozovic calls for it... CATERPILLAR!
Headed up top...
Heavy Machinery win by pinfall with a Vader Bomb from Otis Dozovic on the Miz.
Post-match, John Morrison steals the Money in the Bank briefcase and runs off!
Backstage, Big E, Drew Gulak, and Lucha House Party are celebrating Xavier Woods’ birthday. They’ve got a cake and everything!
E hypes up his #1 contender’s match tonight and a security goon comes by to tell him Woods is her! Big takes the cake to the loading dock and gets blindsided by Sheamus! The Celtic Warrior beats him down and smashes his face into the hood of a car a few times before climbing atop it and drawing E up. Pat Buck and a referee show up to tell him to stop but... WHITE NOISE INTO THE WINDSHIELD!
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce rolls up and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Big E being attended to and get a recap of what we just saw before the break.
We’re informed that he’s suffered internal lacerations, and Sheamus rolls up to be smug and deny that this was in any way an ambush. He blames E for the beating he handed him and says if you want to be in the main event, you have to stay focused. He’s already thinking about dodging Riddle’s strikes and avoiding Corbin’s power, but Big was thinking about laughing and dancing with his old friend, and it’s kinda sad.
Bayley and Sasha Banks are interviewed backstage about their tough couple weeks.
Banks asks if there’s a point, and Bayley says they had no idea how to prepare for Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, but now they know and they’re going to win the titles back. Sasha gives a passionate defense of their friendship and their record, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce offers an update on Big E.
He says he’s on his way to being evaluated tonight but they know E is not going to be able to compete in the four-way. Pearce says they’re figuring out who his replacement will be, and Paul Heyman rolls up to pull him aside, presumably to discuss that very thing.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura get an inset promo offering their take up on the women’s tag title match and mocking Big E.
Golden Role Models (Bayley & Sasha Banks) vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (c) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)
Role Models putting the champs to the floor early, double baseball slide and they both get caught and swung into the barricade over and over as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Baszler is in control of Bayley as she makes the tag and Jax presses the attack. Working her over at length, making tags, Shayna working her arm over. Banks gets the tag and lights Nia up with fast strikes! Double knees, corner knees, jockeying for position over the ropes, blind tag from Baszler!
Jax in the ropes, blind tag from Bayley, the Boss slides through, Stunner over the ropes... POWERBOMB TAKES NIA OFF THE APRON AND PUTS HER ON THE FLOOR! Baszler in, Bayley with a back suplex, tag back to Sasha. Sliding knee... NOPE! The former champs get Shayna trapped in the corner, quick tags, putting boots to her!
Lungblower for two, Bayley back in, trapping Baszler on the apron for a dropkick to the shoulders! SHAYNA SLIDES OUT OF THE WAY OF CORNER KNEES AND BANKS GOES FULL-FORCE KNEE-FIRST INTO THE POST! Jockeying for position in the corner, Baszler puts her knee into the turnbuckle and then chop blocks her, leaving the Boss screaming agony!
Sliding knee takes the knee out again, Shayna drags her over, spinning toehold, Sasha reverses to a small package for two! Baszler clears the apron and goes back to the injured leg, stomping away! Indian Deathlock applied, Bayley comes in but she sees the Kirifuda Clutch coming and hits the Bayley-to-Belly to break the hold!
Banks crawls over for a cover... NO GOOD! BANK STATEMENT CROSSFACE APPLIED BUT NIA BREAKS IT UP! Jax tags in, Stretch Muffler, Sasha counters into a sunset flip for two! Fireman’s carry, headed up top but Bayley makes the save! They double powerbomb Baszler, Nia off the top... DOUBLE CROSSBODY! IT’S OVER!
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler win by pinfall with a double crossbody from Jax on both their challengers to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Post-match, medics check on Sasha’s leg as we go to break.
Back from commercial, the medics are still checking on Sasha Banks in the ring.
She shoves them away and Bayley waves them off... ONLY TO ATTACK SASHA HERSELF! SHE PUTS HER KNEE INTO THE STEEL STEPS AND STOMPS AWAY! THROWING THE BOSS INTO THE BARRICADE, DRAGGING HER AROUND RINGSIDE, SMASHING HER INTO THE APRON AND RETURNING HER TO THE RING! Smashing her face into the mat again and again right in front of commentary to make a point before DDTing the knee!
Bayley goes out and gets a chair, wrapping it around Sasha’s destroyed knee! Banks fires up and throws upkicks to push her former best friend away but the SmackDown champ kicks her lights out! Dragging her around... BUS DRIVER! She horsecollars Sasha with the chair... DIVING STOMP OFF THE TOP! SHE PILLMANIZED BANKS BY THE NECK! HOLY SHIT!
Medics swarm to check on Sasha Banks again as we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw.
We go backstage as Sasha Banks is stretchered into an ambulance.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He berates Greg Hamilton for not giving him a proper champion’s introduction. Greg begs off and says it wasn’t in his notes, so Sami addresses Evan, the stage manager, to give him his headset. He talks to a guy named Marty and asks if “Intercontinental Champion” was on his chyron, and he says it was also not in his notes.
Zayn says they’re not taking him seriously so he wants to redo his whole entrance.
Enter Jeff Hardy.
He says Sami didn’t need to attack him if he wanted a title match, he only had to ask. Zayn says that’s very generous but also confusing, since he IS the champion, and Jeff needs to ask him. They bicker back and forth—
Enter AJ Styles.
He asks how it is they can parade around with those titles knowing he’s the uncrowned champion, and Zayn asks if everyone’s going crazy. Hardy says if AJ is healed he’s ready to defend the title against him, Sami takes offense, and Styles attacks the Charismatic Enigma! HELLUVA KICKS ALL AROUND!
Sami Zayn walks off standing tall.
Commentary gives us breaking news about our main event— Jey Uso will be taking Big E’s spot!
Matt Riddle makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tomorrow’s episode of Talking Smack.
We get a little vignette of a woman, shot from the calves down, in high heels walking along carrying a fur coat in a smoky room.
Heavy Machinery are backstage and Otis reveals that he still has the Money in the Bank briefcase with the contract inside.
We go backstage with Miz and Morrison, and John opens the briefcase he has to reveal that it’s actually Otis Dozovic’s lunchbox.
Jey Uso rolls up on Roman Reigns backstage and thanks him for getting him in the four-way tonight. Roman says it’s about time he got some respect, and wishes him some luck.
King Baron Corbin cuts a promo during his entrance to complain about Jey Uso being included in the match, but Matt Riddle attacks him before he can finish talking. They brawl all over the stage, Sheamus joins the fun, Jey Uso as well and they brawl all around the ring, but we go to break before the match proper can begin.
Back from commercial, we get a new episode of Firefly Fun House.
Bray Wyatt says he bets we’re just like him, disappointed because He lost his toy again, but next week he’s got something to cheer us all up— a brand new friend is coming to the fun house!
Nikki Cross is watching on a monitor backstage when Alexa Bliss, now with about four or five dreadlocks in her pigtails, rolls up and begs her forgiveness while Rambling Rabbit looks on.
Cross forgives her, they hug, and Bliss walks off.
King Baron Corbin vs. Jey Uso vs. Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus (WWE Universal Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Uso drops Corbin with a right hand, Sheamus with a takedown, Riddle pulls him away and Jey decks him with a forearm! Matt with a tight two on Uso, knee to the Celtic Warrior, Jey with a schoolboy for two! Waistlock, German suplex, Uso lands on his feet, off the ropes, Baron pulls him to the floor and puts him into the barricade!
Irish Curse on Riddle for two, Corbin comes in and the heels double-team the King of Bros for a bit. Big spinebuster from Baron for two, Uso breaks it up and eats a lariat for two more. Sheamus and Corbin face-to-face, squaring up before deciding to double-team Jey now. Baron on the floor, Riddle kicks him down and Uso fires back on Sheamus with palm strikes!
Off the ropes, front kick and Matt comes in with palm strikes! Uso over with Baron, kick connects, Riddle hits the Pele kick on Sheamus, directing traffic, charging strikes but they get caught by Deep Six and the Irish Curse for simultaneous nearfalls! Sheamus with an axehandle on Corbin and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Uso is lighting Sheamus up with chops but the Celtic Warrior cuts him off with a knee and follows it with a straight suplex! Putting boots to Corbin as he tries to come in, off the ropes, basement dropkick sends the King to the floor! Sheamus takes Jey to the apron for the Beats of the Bodhran!
Fireman’s carry, Riddle sets Uso free with a superkick, ripcord knee to Corbin! Palm strikes on the Celtic Warrior, a boot, the overhead exploder suplex, off the ropes with the Penalty Kick, high jump senton, and Riddle is fired up! Bridging German suplex... NOPE! Triangle choke follows it up, overhead elbows, but Sheamus counters with the deadlift powerbomb for two!
Keeping his legs on the kickout, the cloverleaf is on! Uso breaks it up, the match goes into “everybody do something cool land” and shortly thereafter we get a Jey Uso superkick party! All three other men down and out, off the ropes, Baron cuts him off with a forearm! Sheamus and Riddle team up to put Corbin over the barricade and Jey takes them out with a plancha!
Uso snaps Baron’s neck over the barricade but Corbin catches him on a follow up and throws him into the ThunderDome LED boards! Drawing Riddle up, putting him into the barricade and back in, short-arm End of Days blocked and Sheamus Brogue Kicks him! Bro 2 Sleep on Sheamus! Matt headed up top, corkscrew senton, Jey capitalizes...
Jey Uso wins by pinfall with a diving splash, becoming #1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship.
Post-match, Jey is interviewed and welcomes Roman Reigns to the Uso Penitentiary!
That’s the show, folks!